Piano-action.



L. H.-MAIER.

.PIANO ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.22, 1911.

1,055,546. Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT1.

L. H. MAIER.

PIANO ACTION.

APPLIGATION IIEED SEPT. 22, 1911.

v Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

OUWASHINGTON D c LOUIS H. MAIER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

Application filed September 22 1911. Serial No. 650,673.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS I-I. MAIER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, borough of the Bronx, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means to check or stop the rebound of the hammers in piano actions, both of the upright and grand piano styles, and. to enable rapid strokes of the hammers to be made although the keys for certain notes struck may not return fully to their normal positions of rest, and also to simplify and improve the general construct-ion of piano actions.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement and combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein,

Figure 1 is a partly sectional view illustrating a portion of an upright piano action embodying my invention, the parts being illustrated at rest. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the parts in operated position after the hammer has returned from striking a string; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view corresponding to Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail view looking from the left in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a partly sectional view illustrating my improvements applied in connection with a grand piano action; Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the parts in operated position after the hammer has returned from striking a string; Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modification.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The butt 1 of hammer 1 is pivotally supported upon rail 2 in any suitable manner, at 3, so as to strike the string 4: in usual manner. The wippen 5 is also pivotally supported upon rail 2, as at 6, and operated by the abstract 7 to which the wippen is pivotally connected at 8 in any suitable manner. The jack 9 is pivotally connected with the wippen, as at 10. The jack 9 is also pivotally connected with the hammer by means of a link 12, the pivots 13 and 141 and the pivot 10 being substantially in alinement when the hammer is at rest against the hammer rail 15. The link 12 is shown provided with a projection 12 adapted, in the normal position of rest, to coact with jack 9. A spring 11 interposed between the wippen and the jack normally holds the jack and projection 12 together. Abstract 7 is shown provided with an extension 7 in Figs. 1 to 1, adapted to coact with a stop 16 on jack 9, being out of contact when the parts are in the positions of rest, and the hammer is against rail 15. Stop 16 is shown in the form of a screw adjustable to regulate the time of push of the abstract upon the link and cause the hammer to be let off as re quired. Jack 9 has an extension or check 9 adapted to coact with the hammer when the parts are in the operated position, for which purpose I have shown the hammer butt provided with a projection 17 adapted to engage extension 9**, the outer end of extension 9 being shown offset or seated at 9 to receive projection 17, the upwardly extending part of seat 7 serving as an abutment against side motion of projection 17 when said parts are in contact. may be operated by key 18 in usual manner as illustrated, and the abstract may be provided with a projection 7* for operation by an automatic player mechanism or the wip Abstract 7 j pen may be operated directly from such player mechanism in wellknown manner. Projection 17 is shown in the form of a screw adjustable in butt 1 to regulate its coaction with seat or stop 9 with respect to the point at which the hammer is checked upon rebound from the string.

In Figs. 5 to 7 the abstract 7 is shown horizontally disposed and connected with wippen 5 by pivot 8, the key 18 operating under the abstract, the stop 16 being shown carried by the upwardly extending part 7 of the abstract, said stop being located within a recess 7 into which recess extends a projection 9 from jack 9 to coact with stop 16, for a purpose similar to extension 7*. The link 7 pivotally connects abstract 7 with rail 2, in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, and with rail 2 in Figs. 1 to 4. The hammer is disposed under the strings in Figs. 5 to 7. Link 12 is connected with a spring 11 as by a string 21, and spring 11 is connected with jack 9 tending to draw link 12 and jack 9 to the normal positions shown in Fig. 5, serving the same purpose as spring 11. I

22 carried by jack 9. Tension on said spring may be regulated by means of a screw 22 carried by jack 9 bearing against the end 11 of spring 11 said spring tending quickly to draw back link 12 from the oper ated position to the normal position. In Fig. 8 spring 11 is dispensed with and a spring 11 similar to spring 11 of Fig's. 5, 6, and 7. is used.

In accordance with my invention when the wippen is operated jack 9, through the relative alined arrangement of pivots 10, 13 and 1st, will operate link 12 to cause the hammer to strike the string, and just before the hammer strikes the string the projection 7" of Figs. 1 to a or the projection 9 of Figs. 5 to 7 will engage the stop 16 and cause lateral movement. of the ack, whereby link 12 is swung laterally by the ack, allowing the hammer to fall back from the string, and thereupon the extensiou or check 9 will engage projection 17 of the hammer as the latter moves back from the string, and thereby the hammer will be checked and its vibration or movement stopped, whereby the hammer will be held out of engagement with the string because the hammer will be blocked at the points 3, 14, 13, 9 and 17. lVhen the wippen is only partly released, as by reason of quick repeated action of the key or player mechanism, the spring 11 or 11 will draw link 12 in line with jack 9 before the hammer moves away from its checked position, thereby the hammer and jack being held ready in an intermediate position between rail 15 and the string for a repeated stroke, and when the wippen is fully released the parts quickly return to their normal positions with the hammer against rail 15.

It may be found desirable to provide pivot 1:1 with a loose pinning between the butt 1 or the link 12, to allow the hammer to have slight independent movement at the limit of the stroke of the jack to freely strike the string.

Changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangements set forth, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what- I claim is 1. In a piano the combination of a string, a jack, a hammer, and a link pivotally connected with the jack and hammer, said jack having a check below the link between the jack and the string to coact with the hammer when the latter rebounds from the string.

2. In apiano -the combination of astring, ajack, a hammer, and alink pivotally connected with thehammer, the ack having an extension below the link provided with a seat to coact with the hammer to check the latter, said extension being on the side of the jack toward which the hammer strikes.

3. A piano action comprising a wippen, a jack, a hammer, a link pivotally connecting the jack and hammer, a spring connecting the link with the jack to retain the link in normal position respecting the jack and hammer, an abstract, and means connected with the abstract to move the link to let off the hammer.

4:. A piano action comprising a wippen, an abstract, a jack, a hammer, the jack being movably connected with the wippeu and hammer, said abstract being provided with means to move the jack to permit return of the hammer from a string.

A piano action comprising a wippen, an abstract, ajack, a hammer, the jack being movably connected with the wippen and hammer, said abstract being provided with means to move the jack to permit return of the hammer from a string, and means between the jack and hammer coacting together to check the rebound of the hammer from a string.

6. A piano action comprising a hammer, a jack, a link pivotally connecting the hammer and ack, a member pivotally connected with the jack, means movably supporting said members, an abstract movably connected with said member, and means carried by the abstract to move the jack and link to permit return of the hammer from a string.

7. A piano action comprising a hammer, a jack, a link pivotally connecting the jack and hammer, means to normally retain the jack and link in operative relation, an abstract, a member pivotally connected with the abstract and with the jack, means movably supporting said member, and means carried by the abstract adapted to move the link to permit return of the hammer from a string while the abstract is in operated position.

8. A piano action comprising a hammer, a jack, a link pivotally connecting the jack and hammer, means to normally retain the jack and link in operative relation, an abstract, a member pivotally connected with the abstract and with the jack, means movably supporting said member, means carried by the abstract adapted to move the link to permit return of the hammer from a string while the abstract is in operated position, and means for checking the rebound. of the hammer from a string while the abstract is in operated position.

9. A piano action comprising a hammer, a jack, a link pivotally connecting the jack and hammer, means to normally retain the jack and link in operative relation, an ab stract, a member pivotally connected "with the abstract and with the jack, means movably supporting said member carried by with the abstract adapted to move the link to permit return of the hammer from a string while the abstract is in operative position, and means connected with the jack and the hammer for checking rebound of the hammer from the string when the abstract is in the operated position.

10. A piano action comprising a jack, a hammer, a link pivotally connecting the jack with the hammer, means carried by the jack below the link for checking rebound of the latter from the string, and means to regulate the time of checking the rebound of the hammer from a string.

Si ned at New York city, in the county of 15 New York, and State of New York, this 21st day of September, A. D. 1911.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 6. 

